- Bright leftfield bangers on Timedance.
- re:ni joins Batu's label Timedance for its first record of the year—and its first-ever release by a woman. She lands here after an impressive debut on Ilian Tape and cofounding the radio show and London party re:lax with fellow leftfield club producer Laksa. re:ni has been paving the way for women producers in the still male-dominated areas of bass-heavy club music, combining dubby vibrations, broken beats and leftfield techno that seems tailored for forward-thinking labels like Timedance, all while staying true to her own junglist origins.
On BeautySick—only her second EP ever—she dives into dark, deconstructed club music, but contrasts it with bursts of light and melody. There's more texture, nuance and space for reflection here than on Revenge Body, plus a heavy trance influence, sonically and metaphorically. On both "BURSTTRAP" and "Blame is the Name of the Game," the melodies unfold over a jerky bassline, creating an ethereal soundscape for dancers to zone out into even amid the hectic rhythms. A pulsating, didgeridoo-like sound pulsates through "Blame is the Name of the Game" and the title track, highlighting the eerier side of trance rather than the euphoric. On BeautySick, re:ni resides in a grey area between genres, not quite reaching drum & bass speed but not fully embracing dubstep or straight-up trance either.
The voices on BeautySick sound lost, almost stranded. Shrieks and yells only add to the already menacing atmosphere, like the chanting voice on opener "BURSTTRAP," which disappears quickly like some cut-off warning from the future. In "Below Sanpaku," voices appear midway as if to alert listeners to the wave of menacing basslines. The title references traditional Japanese and Chinese face readings, which can indicate your fate in life according to the amount of sclera in your eyes. The seemingly fatal trajectory of the drums is offset by the luminescent synths that melt into the track midway through. The contrast between imminent darkness and light, the present and the invisible, are a constant on this impressive EP—made for dimly lit, dub-loving rooms.
Tracklist01. BURSTTRAP
02. Blame is the Name of the Game
03. Below Sanpaku
04. BeautySick